No Time To Breathe
by Jaina Solo2
Summary: On the worst day of her life Padme gets some news that will change her life. Set between Attack of the Clones and Episode III. Vignette. PadmeAnakin


Disclaimer: I own none of this and I'm also making no money off of this. No infringement is intended and Star Wars belongs to George Lucas and other assorted folks, who are not me.  
  
Summary: An eventful day in the life of Padme Amidala.  
  
Author's note: I have to thank Jaya Solo for betaing this for me and for coming up with a title for it. This is just a little one part story that hit me and was suddenly begging to be written. I hope everyone enjoys it. This is my first attempt at writing Anakin/Padme.  
  
Bright sunlight filtered through the windows of her office. As a powerful senator of a modestly affluent world, Padme Amidala's office was situated on one of the upper levels of Coruscant as befitted her status. The pure sunlight and the beautiful view were a sharp contrast to the inside of the office, however. It was filled with the grim facts of war and the even grimmer state of the Republic. The galaxy was being torn apart not only politically, but physically as well.  
  
The incredible destruction that was being reeked indiscriminately across the faces of hundreds of worlds throughout sickened the Senator. Even worse, to Padme personally was the fact that her husband was gone. The squad of commando's that Anakin had been temporarily leading had not reported in for days. It's statues was officially recorded as missing in action, for the moment, but the unofficial word indicated that his commando unit had already been written off.  
  
Fear clutched at Padme as she tried to maintain the appearance of being untroubled and going about her usual daily tasks. Only the news that Obi- Wan- now General Kenobi- had gone after Anakin had kept Padme from giving into her grief and despair. Her life with Anakin was not perfect and it was far from what she might have imagined for her marriage as a small child. There were times that she might go weeks, or even months without seeing Anakin. He was on the front lines of the war now, rarely returning to Coruscant and in her own way, she was on the front lines as well, fighting to get aide for the refugees and devastated worlds and struggling to spur the Senate into action. Some days it seemed as if she didn't have time to breathe much less miss Anakin, but he was never far from her thoughts.  
  
"Senator," a voice called her sharply out of her brief reprieve.  
  
She looked up recognizing the voice of her personal assistant easily. "Yes, Esbeth?" she responded, and the silently admonished herself as she heard the edge of sadness and exhaustion in her own voice. Now was not the time to worry her assistant into asking inconvenient questions.  
  
"The Senator from Gasenor wishes to speak with you about the latest Refugee Aide Acquisition proposal, Ma'am."  
  
Padme stifled a sigh and blinked back unexpected tears. _What was wrong with her today?_ Another senator dropping by her office for what promised to be an intense, and unfruitful disagreement about the proposal that she was currently championing in the Senate wasn't usually enough to reduce her to tears. Perhaps it was simply the stress of all that had been happening for the last few days. Whatever it was, it would have to wait. She took a moment to close her eyes and take a deep breath.  
  
Padme tried to focus on what was important, pushing the extraneous thoughts and things that she couldn't change now, to the back of her mind. A moment later, she opened her eyes and smiled slightly at her assistant. "Thank you, Esbeth. Please let the Senator in."  
  
As her assistant left to get the Senator, Padme took another steadying breath. Since she had entered politics as a young girl, she had always preferred to be busy. There was so much to be done and there always seemed to be so little time. Her tendency to be busy had grown after she had married Anakin. It wasn't just the war, it was a way to keep her mind off of Anakin when they were separated. Maybe she needed to take a break. If only so much didn't depend on her. If only she knew Anakin was safe.  
  
The door to her office pushed open quickly, jerking her out of her thoughts. The obviously agitated humanoid stormed into her office, already in the midst of a loud objection as he entered. "Senator Amidala," the senator bellowed, cutting off any attempt of hers to greet him. "This is preposterous! The aide that you're requesting will come out of the pockets of my people. Surely you cannot expect me to ask the people of my world to subject themselves to the conditions that will result from the requirements of your proposal?"  
  
"Your world is one of the collectively richest worlds in the galaxy, Senator," she responded, not intimidated in the least as perhaps the man had hoped. Rising from her seat behind the desk, she added, "Surely the beings of your world could spare a little of that wealth to give aide to beings who's world has been made unlivable and now have nothing? They have no home, no way of life and no future unless they are given that opportunity. Would your people hoard all of their wealth and deny these beings that chance as well?"  
  
The Senator hardly seemed to hear her subtle rebuke or her impassioned plea. His voice rose again as he railed against her proposal.  
  
Padme listened without comment, wondering how long she would have to listen to the Senator before she could politely kick him out of her office. This was the kind of being that she despised working with. He simply wasn't willing to work with her or anyone unless it met his agenda. This was what was dividing the Republic. He might as well be aiding the Separatists.  
  
Padme felt her fist clench at her side in anger. She took a half-step forward, preparing to deliver a scathing response to the Senator. An instant later, she hesitated, however. Suddenly she felt so weak, exhausted. Padme had to clutch at the desk in front of her to remain standing. She swayed uncertainly for an instant and then she was engulfed in darkness.

* * *

Padme woke in a quiet room that was painted in bland, soothing colors. It only took her a moment to recognize her surroundings in a general way. She wondered for an instant why she was in a medcenter and then she remembered the way that she had fainted. It wasn't a good sign that her assistant had thought it was necessary to bring her to the medcenter, but Padme didn't have a chance to wonder any longer as the door to her room was opened and the doctor entered.  
  
The Doctor was a Bith perhaps a decade or two her senior and seemed to carry a certain jovial air about him, despite the times. "You're awake. That's verry good." He paused in front of her bed and calmly took a seat by her. "My name is Ithalan, Senator Amidala. Your assistant brought you in here to us. She said that you had apparently passed out during a meeting with a colleague." He smiled down at her gently. "Do you know why that happened, Senator?"  
  
Something in the way that he asked the question made Padme sit up further in her bed. _What was he getting at?_ "I had just assumed it was from a combination of stress and exhaustion," she said carefully, waiting for his response.  
  
He nodded slightly and gently told her, "That is true, in part, but it was mainly due to your underlying condition. Senator Amidala, you're pregnant."  
  
A wave of fear like none she had ever experienced flooded through Padme. If this leaked out, it could ruin her career. It would lead to questions that she couldn't answer and it could destroy everything that she and Anakin had worked so hard for. It could destroy the thin strand of secrecy that kept their marriage safe. The first words out of Padme's mouth were, "This must be kept confidential, Doctor Ithalan."  
  
When he looked back up at her the cheerfulness and quiet joy had gone out of his eyes to be replaced by an infinite sadness. He nodded and rose. "Of course, Senator. I'll have my nurse come back and tell you what you will need to know in a moment."  
  
He left without another word.

* * *

That night in her apartment as Padme lay in the bed that suddenly seemed so empty without Anakin by her side, her mind whirled with thoughts. It was almost hard to comprehend that she was really pregnant. It was something that she had never expected and she and Anakin had never discussed. It had seemed diffucult enough to form some semblance of a life together while having to hide every aspect of it, without having to worry about children.  
  
Now, laying there with tears of sadness and despair over Anakin running down her cheeks, a child seemed like a terrifying thing. _But it was also wonderful,_ the small voice in the back of her mind admitted. Somehow in less than twenty-four hours, without even having seen her child or felt him or her, she loved this child- this soon to be very tangible proof of their love.  
  
It would be complicated, certainly, but life was full of complications. Without even knowing it, she realized that she had longed for this- for a real family with Anakin. If only she could tell Anakin. Her tentative joy and her sadness mingled into one bittersweet emotion as Padme drifted towards sleep, worry for Anakin and thoughts of her unborn child competing for the foremost position in her thoughts.  
  
A half an hour later as Padme was almost drifting off into sleep, a chime sounded from the table beside her bed. It was a familiar sound, announcing incoming messages that brought her immediately back to consciousness. Dressed in one of Anakin's large tunics, she quickly activated it.  
  
The machine's monotone voice began to announce the pertinent information. "Real time message, incoming transmission and audio only. Accept message?"  
  
Padme accepted the transmission quickly, holding her breath, one of her hands clutching the sheet tightly.  
  
The voice that washed over her sounded tired, but fine. It was soothing, rich and warm with love. "Padme, my love, I'm so sorry to have made you worry. I don't have time to say much, but I am fine and I will be home to see you soon." His voice was rough with emotion. "I missed you so much, my love. I can't wait to see you again and hold you in my arms." He paused, taking a deep breath. "Don't forget that I love you more than anything else in the galaxy, my Angel."  
  
The connection fell silent and then clicked off.  
  
Padme fell back onto the bed with a brilliant grin covering her face. Anakin was safe and he would be home soon. She had wonderful news to tell him. Today had been both torture and perfection.  
  
Padme fell asleep, moments later, and dreamed dreams of beautiful spring days on Naboo, wrapped in Anakin's arms without the cares of the war on their shoulders, talking about what their child's life would be like. It would be perfect.  
  
Well what do ya'll think? Please leave some feedback to let me know! 


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